Eagles Rally for 2-1 Victory over Griffins
Oct 21, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado defenseman Wyatt Aamodt scored the game-tying goal late in the second period, while forward Riley Tufte netted the game-winner midway through the final frame, as the Eagles rallied to defeat the Grand Rapids Griffins 2-1 on Saturday. Goaltender Justus Annunen earned his second-consecutive win in net, stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced.
After a scoreless first period that saw the Eagles outshoot Grand Rapids 10-7, the scoring would pick up in the middle frame. The Griffins netted the game’s first goal when forward Cross Hanas fired a shot from the right-wing circle that Annunen initially stopped, but the puck would leak through and cross the goal line, giving Grand Rapids the 1-0 edge just 1:06 into the period.
Colorado would go on to earn three power plays in the second stanza, but Griffins goalie Sebastian Cossa and the penalty kill would rise to the occasion, keeping the Eagles off the board on the man-advantage. As time wound down in the period, Colorado defenseman Wyatt Aamodt would collect a rebound between the circles and light the lamp with a wrister, levelling the score at 1-1 with just 1:05 remaining.
With the contest still knotted up at 1-1 as the third period began, the Eagles would jump on top via a 2-on-1 rush, capped off when Peter Holland flipped a pass onto the tape of Tufte, which he would drive home from the low slot to give Colorado a 2-1 lead at the 12:11 mark.
Grand Rapids would pull Cossa in favor of the extra attacker in the final minute of the contest, but would come no closer, as the Eagles held on for the 2-1 win.
Colorado outshot the Griffins by a final count of 33-19, finishing the game 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Cossa suffered the loss in net, allowing two goals on 33 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they travel to take on the Abbotsford Canucks on Tuesday, October 24th at 8:00pm MT at Abbotsford Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now and can be secured with a deposit of just $100 per seat. Click here to place your deposit.
